[ad_1]
Where Mumbai Indians finished last season
Hardik Pandya (captain), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David*, Dewald Brevis*, Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Romario Shepherd*, Mohammad Nabi*, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood*, Gerald Coetzee*, Kwena Maphaka*, Nuwan Untilhara*, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Shivalik Sharma
Player availability: Suryakumar is a doubtful starter
Suryakumar Yadav may not be fit in time for Mumbai’s opener. He underwent surgery for an ankle problem and a sports hernia in the last three months and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Jason Behrendorff has been ruled out of the tournament after breaking his leg in the nets. England left-arm seamer Luke Wood replaced him. Dilshan Madushanka also had to be replaced by 17-year-old South African fast bowler Kwena Maphaka. Gerald Coetzee has joined the team, but he is still recovering from a groin injury and it is unlikely that he will be available for the first few games.
What’s new with MI this year?
Captain. Hardik Pandya is back in Mumbai and as captain, having taken over from Rohit Sharma. This is the first time that a current India T20I captain will play with someone else in the IPL. It will also be interesting to see how Rohit fares without the added responsibility.
There are six new foreign players: Coetzee, Maphaka, Wood, Nuwan Untilhara, Romario Shepherd and Mohammad Nabi. Untilhara, who bowls with a fast action like Lasith Malinga, recently scored five points, including a hat-trick, in a T20I against Bangladesh. Among the non-international Indians, Shreyas Gopal has been added as Piyush Chawla’s back-up.
The good – Batting and Bumrah
A strong Indian core. Once Suryakumar is available, Mumbai can have an all-Indian top five: Rohit, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar, Hardik and Tilak Varma. With Tim David at number 6, it is a batting unit that can consistently record or chase totals over 200, as they demonstrated last season. Kishan and Tilak also help with the left-right combination.
Hardik said in the pre-season press conference that he is fit to bowl, which gives the team great balance. In Shepherd and Nabi, Mumbai have two more quality all-rounders but, as Mark Boucher hinted, they may at times field only three foreign players.
In Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai have a fast bowler who can cross phases. After standout performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the recent Test series against England, he is expected to lead the way once again.
The not so good: injuries and distorted actions
Mumbai will hope that Suryakumar does not miss too many matches, while Kishan has not played first-class cricket since November. Perhaps the biggest blow is the absence of Behrendorff, as he was supposed to be the power play specialist. The unavailability of Coetzee and Madushanka early on takes away even more flexibility.
Mumbai also has few resources to pivot. Chawla made the difference for them last season; His 22 wickets in 16 games were the fourth-highest in the tournament. But his returns in the last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy were not so good – four wickets in seven games with an economy of 8.40. At 35, can he lead Mumbai’s spin attack once again?
Kumar Kartikeya has age and form on his side but he has not been effective in the IPL. Last season, he took five wickets in eight games with an economy of 8.73. Shreyas has played only four matches in the last three seasons of the IPL.
In the schedule released so far (March 22 to April 7), Mumbai will play four matches. The first two away from home, against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and the next two at home, against Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals. After the third game, they have a five-day break.
